Streets are never actually paved in gold, but people set off nonetheless to distant places hopeful for riches. In recent years, the magnet has been the Bakken formation, where an oil boom has transformed a sleepy section of North Dakota into a thriving fracking enterprise.

In Jesse Moss' documentary “The Overnighters,” the hope is perhaps best summed up by a man calling home to excitedly report that people with multiple felonies can score six-figure salaries.

It doesn't work out for everyone. A lot of hopefuls spend the last of their savings on a bus ticket to North Dakota, where they find themselves jobless and homeless. That's where Jay Reinke comes in. The pastor is the main subject of “The Overnighters,” a film that masterfully explores so many modern-day conundrums — such as the ambiguous nature of the American dream and the purpose of religion — without overburdening the narrative.

Reinke runs Concordia Lutheran Church in Williston, N.D., and he believes that his calling is to help the desperate people who show up on his doorstep. He lets the men (they are almost always men) sleep on cots in his church or, if they have cars, stay in his parking lot. He believes that the townspeople of Williston should open their arms and rejoice in a quickly expanding, increasingly diverse community.

The citizens of Williston see things differently. One disgruntled member of Reinke's flock explains that she doesn't appreciate a bunch of people coming to “rape, pillage and burn” the land before moving on to another destination.

“The Overnighters” is commendable for many reasons, not the least of which is the way it allows complex issues to remain complex. There is a clear conflict, but there's no good vs. evil.

Moss spent a lot of time with his subjects, enough to capture the emotional highs and lows of some of the newcomers.

Reinke, too, is a complicated man. He has a big heart, and he wants so badly to see the best in people. His caring is almost superhuman, but he admits he's far from perfect. And we get to see that firsthand in this authentically tragic documentary.

Stephanie Merry is a film critic for The Washington Post.

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